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Abstract
Background: Information on growth status of a population is essential to establish the health status of the population and administer any health intervention programmes.
Aims: The study aimed to examine growth patterns in body, fat and physiological traits during adolescence in the light of various hypotheses and other studies.
Subjects and methods: Cross-sectional data on a sample of 220 Rajput girls aged 11–17 years were collected from Theog tehsil, Shimla District in Himachal Pradesh.
Results: Mean body height and weight increased by 11% and 45.5%, respectively, from age 11 to 17 years. The first marked growth in height took place between 11 and 12 years, while the maximum annual increment was witnessed between 13 and 14 years. ANOVA revealed significant differences in anthropometric traits between various adolescent age groups. Waist–hip ratio (WHR) decreased from 0.77 at age 11 to 0.72 at age 17 years to attain gynoid pattern of body fat. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased from 106.92 and 66.48 mm Hg to 111.74 and 72.89 mm Hg, respectively.
Conclusion: Although the girls in the present study did not suffer from any severe malnutrition, they had lower dimensions than their Western counterparts when they entered the adolescence phase and also later on. In contrast to height deficits, increase in weight deficits was greater. There is no indication of any compensatory or catch-up growth during adolescence. The present study does not support the hypothesis that lower nutritional stage during childhood affects the timing of adolescent take-off, age at peak height and weight velocity. The data lend support to the hypothesis of saltatory patterns with intervening periods of stasis. BMI, %fat and FM were significantly correlated with diastolic blood pressure but non-significantly correlated with systolic blood pressure.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.